London Restaurants - North London

70 Mountgrove Rd, Finsbury Park, London N5 2LT

Whether you’re after a super sarnie, great coffee or a seasonally inspired bottled cocktail Fink's is the place for you. Currently operating as takeaway only it also sells a curated selection of fresh and cupboard provisions along with interesting wines and spirits.

49 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 3EF

Serving coffee from Dark Arts and a wide range of top sarnies and pastries, this Stroud Green cafe is extremely popular - good luck getting a table out in the garden on sunny days. They’ve now extended their hours to offer an interesting plant-focused menu in the evenings at weekends too.

35-37 Blackstock Rd, London N4 2JF

As the name suggests, this indie cafe is all about supporting those producing the best British food and drink. Their full English breakfasts are legendary and they do a nice line in bread and pastries too. At the back is a surprisingly capacious back garden complete with Anderson shelter.

30 Wells Terrace, London N4 3FP

One of the first places to open by the new look Finsbury Park station, this cafe and patisserie is great for baguettes and cakes, but it’s their pasties which have utterly stolen our hearts. Owner Dahmane Ladjassa trained as a pastry chef in Paris and is now committed to winning over North Londoners with his baked goods.

3 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 2DQ

This much-beloved Finsbury Park spot serves up a menu of Korean and Japanese favourites so you’ll find bulgogi alongside sashimi and kimchi along with nasu dengaku. The set menus are a particular steal for food of this quality. Take note - it’s cash only.

163 Blackstock Rd, London N4 2JS

A personal favourite of the Hot Dinners team, this ocakbasi restaurant on Blackstock Road has been turning out great Turkish food for years. The chicken shish never disappoints and there’s something about the way their bread soaks up all the meat juices that just finishes us.

8 Clifton Terrace, London N4 3JP

Over the past few years, Tenmaru has been quietly carving a reputation for itself as a place for good ramen. Their chicken-based ramen broth particularly makes them stand out from the crowd. They also do a nice line in izakaya style snackage too.

54 Blackstock Road, London N4 2DW

Although it’s probably most often used as a takeaway, this branch of the Yard Sale pizza group does have room for 20 folk to dine in. Enjoy regular pizzas like their TSB (Tenderstem broccoli with Parmesan and pine nuts) along with inventive specials.

96 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 3EN

There is cutthroat competition in this part of the world when it comes to great kebabs, so the fact that Petek is so often namechecked is worthy of note. Expect generous portions of the Turkish food

4-6 Islington Green, London N1 2XA

This restaurant brings fresh pasta to Islington from chef Louis Korovilas (who created the original menu at Bancone). Expect pasta dishes that evolve with the season alongside plenty of fritti action (including fritto misto, of course).

10 Chapel Market, London N1 9EZ

Tucked away down Chapel Market this Korean 'tapas' joint is owned by top Korean mixologist Taeyeol Kim, so the cocktails are as good as the food. The menu covers everthing from Korean fried chicken through to kimchi pancakes and tteok.bokki - rice cake stew. Look out for Friday regional Korean specials.

141-142 Upper St, London N1 1QY

Sichuan House on Islington's Upper Stret is all about authentic Sichuan and Chinese cuisine, with a focus on traditional cooking and recipes.

169 Hemingford Rd, London N1 1DA

This bright, friendly neighbourhood cafe really comes into its own at the weekends when it serves up one of London's best brunches. You'll have to fight off every other Islington to get a seat, but it's worth it for dishes like Crispy Pork belly with spring onion pancake, kimchi and scrambled eggs.

9 Chapel Market, London N1 9EZ

Chapel Market might not be the first place you'd think of for top quality sushi, but Head chef Padam Raj Rai was the former head sushi chef at Tsukiji restaurant in Mayfair and he knows his stuff. Plus, you'll get to throw an A5 Japanese Wagyu steak on the stone here and cook it exactly how you like it.

93 Grosvenor Ave, Canonbury, London N5 2NL

Slightly off the beaten track in Canonbury is this small neighbourhood wine bar, serving up a changing seasonal European menu. The owners are Hugo Thurston and Vinny Burke, who were also behind Shoreditch's Jago.

133B Upper St, The Angel, London N1 1QP

Since they opened, MEATliquor have grown their burger and cocktail empire across London, but all of their locations are places where you can get some of the very best burgers in town. Not to mention some killer cocktails.

157 Holloway Rd, London N7 8LX

A top Holloway Road pizzeria which prides itself on its dough, 48-hour fermented, and there are also vegetable charcoal, wholemeal and gluten-free options. Combine this with some unique toppings and combinations (including truffle honey) and you've a winning combo. Their next-door pasta restaurant Berto is worth a look too.

167 Upper St, Islington, London N1 1US

This Spanish restaurant on Upper Street comes from expert jamón producers Jamon y Salud, so you'd be expecting their jamon to be of a particularly high standard (it is). But it's not all about ham as the restaurant does a great line in authentic Spanish tapas, as well as serving up excellent Spanish wines. It's also worth popping in and grabbing a seat on the bar if you just need a snack.

19 Prebend St, Islington, London N1 8PF

This artisan bakery in Islington is best known for its pastries - chief among them the maple bacon croissant, but its bread is up there too. Head along here for some great coffee in the minimalist setting and work your way through some excellent baked goods.

139 Graham Street, Angel, Islington, N1 8LB

After gaining a reputation for cooking Italian in the much-loved Bocca di Lupo, Jacob Kenedy returned to his US roots with a wonderful Cajun and Creole menu at his Lousiana-themed Plaquemine Lock on Regent’s Canal. If you fancy some deep-south cooking in London, there's little better available.

63–69 Canonbury Rd, Islington, London N1 2DG

This Islington pub/restaurant has a strong emphasis on smoking and BBQ. Alongside the food expect plenty of rotating beers and the outside garden is a surprise oasis just off a busy Islington road.

Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR

A hugely impressive-looking venue, this saw them revamping what was literally an old booking office into one of London's most beautiful dining rooms. There's a European menu on offer including oysters to start alongside dishes like smoked corn ribs, buttermilk chicken, steak and their own burger. The cocktails here are very good too.

52 St Thomas’s Road, London N4 2QW

When the Four Legs crew took on this Finsbury Park there were expectations sure but who could have predicted what a white hot success it would be? It’s often very hard to get a reservation but you can always rock up to the bar bit for a drink and one of their fabulous cheeseburgers.

Tileyard Rd, London N7 9AH

This alfresco space is by Two Tribes and is based just outside their King's Cross brewery. Much of it is under permanent cover (along with heaters for the colder months) and it's backed up by impressive BBQ action by From The Ashes.

60 St John's Wood High St, St John's Wood, London NW8 7SH

This is from Corbin and King, the team behind The Wolseley, Bellanger, The Delaunay and more. This time it is an all-day restaurant serving French food with Russian influences.

177b Blackstock Road, London N5 2LL

Not to be confused with Shop Cuvee or Cave Cuvee, this is the original opening from the team who brought their enthusiasm for natural wine to the Highbury/Finsbury Park borders. Dishes change regularly but might include treats like a very good pate en croute or asparagus cassoulet.

14 Handyside St, King’s Cross, London N1C 4DN

This relaxed restaurant comes from the team behind Spiritland and offers Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with lots of traditional toppings, Prosecco, and an extremely memorable Nutella pizza to finish off! Downstairs is Supermax, its basement late-night licence cocktail bar.

188 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 7JD

Moio restaurant on Stoke Newington High Street is a collaboration between a chef and sommelier who previously worked together at Portland restaurant as chef and sommelier. There's a modern European menu with a big focus on matching wines with it.

Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, King’s Cross, London N1C 4AB

Pip Lacey, the former head chef at Murano is the brains behind Hicce, a restaurant with wood-fired food that's brimming with British flavours via Norway and Japan. Also worth noting, they have a little wine shop and market downstairs.

Unit 22-24, Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard, London, N1C 4DH

From the same people as Casa Pastor, this really makes good use of the old coal storage area to evoke the feeling of a wine cellar. The wine list is, obviously, one of the best in the area served expertly by people who know their stuff.